As you’re lighting your grill this summer, spend a bit of time considering what you’re putting on it. We all look forward to grilled burgers, grilled veggies, and even barbecue, but while grilling meat can be a conscious choice, you do need to make the extra effort to ensure that your barbecue is a humane one. Whether you’re grilling chicken, fish, pork, or beef, here are some guidelines for ensuring that you’re only choosing the best humane meat to feed yourself, your friends, and your family this summer.

1. Familiarize Yourself with Humane Meat Labels

It seems that every package you buy in the grocery store has some kind of buzzword on it, but they don’t always mean the same thing.

The Certified Humane label, organized by the HFAC non-profit organization, is one of the most humane certifications out there, creating verified “Pasture Raised” and “Free Range” labels for poultry to replace the unregulated use of these terms. However, humane fraud was uncovered in 2015 related to this certification, so you may wish to be cautious or opt for another certification to verify these claims.

Animal Welfare Approved is one of our top choices for humane meat, with rigorous standards developed alongside a variety of professionals addressing every aspect of the species’ lifecycle needs. In fact, alongside Certified Humane, AWA ranked as the most humane choices in a 2011 comparison of five of the top humane meat labels.

For more information on these and other humane meat labels, this handy guide from the ASPCA is a great place to start.

2. Choose Unique Cuts

Most grilled meat recipes opt for muscle cuts: beef tenderloins or hanger steaks, chicken thighs, and lamb chops are all frequently featured. But always choosing common muscle cuts increases the demand for industrial production, whereas choosing more obscure cuts, like liver, kidney, or even tripe allow for smaller producers and butchers ascribing to whole animal butchery to make a living, and it’s a far more sustainable choice no matter how you look at it.

Offal cuts or even whole poultry can also easily be cooked up on the grill. Try our whole grilled chipotle chicken recipe or grill up some delicious beef heart to venture away from flank steak and chicken breasts and explore a different side of grilling meat.

3. Pay the Price for Humane Meat

If meat is at the lower end of the price scale, chances are it’s not all that humane.

Low prices are often an indication of low-quality feed and animal exploitation. The higher prices associated with free-range chickens or grass-fed, organic beef aren’t just because of increased demand, but also due to the increased cost of raising animals humanely. In other words, if you think you’ve found a deal that seems too good to be true, chances are, it is.

The one exception would be buying bulk meat from a whole animal butchery. You can often find great deals buying in bulk, via CSAs, or buying a whole animal (alone or with friends).

4. Vary Your Menu

Just because you’re grilling meat doesn’t mean that needs to be the only option. Choosing to serve just a bit of high-quality meat alongside some delicious grilled vegetables is a great way to reduce your consumption of meat (and afford the pricier, better quality cuts).

5. Choose Local

If you really want to ensure that the meat that you are buying is truly humanely raised, your best resource is the producer. Choosing local meat not only reduces the carbon footprint of your purchase, it also allows you to speak directly with the producer and ensure that the humane standards that he or she works with are in line with what you are looking for as far as humane meat.

]]>Is Grass-Fed Beef Disappearing for Good?http://www.organicauthority.com/is-grass-fed-beef-disappearing-for-good/
Wed, 20 Jan 2016 15:43:51 +0000http://www.organicauthority.com/?p=40465On January 12th, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) rescinded the USDA labeling standard for grass-fed meat. The label had been developed over the course of four years and was finalized in 2006. The decision to revoke the standard stems from an internal USDA ruling, stating that AMS never had the legal authority […]

On January 12th, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) rescinded the USDA labeling standard for grass-fed meat. The label had been developed over the course of four years and was finalized in 2006.

The decision to revoke the standard stems from an internal USDA ruling, stating that AMS never had the legal authority to establish the standard in the first place, as this authority was solely in the purview of a different USDA agency, FSIS.

“Because AMS does not have express authority to define grass-fed or naturally raised, it is inappropriate for the agency to offer it as an AMS-defined marketing claim,” the agency said.

The AMS notice to this effect appeared in the Federal Register on the 12th, stating that the standard “does not facilitate the marketing of agricultural products in a manner that is useful to stakeholders or consumers,” as “there is no guarantee that an USDA-verified production/marketing claim will be approved by FSIS.”

“Meat labeling just became even more confusing for farmers and consumers,”said Ferd Hoefner, Policy Director for the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, one of the organizations that helped finalize the label. “The rationale that a strong USDA label standard for grass-fed beef is not useful because it might not be recognized by a partner agency is outrageous.” He suggested that in the face of discrepancies between the two agencies, the appropriate solution would be to tackle this lack of interagency communication, not bow to it.

But Nicolette Hahn Niman, an environmental lawyer and author, as well as the wife of grass-fed beef pioneer Bill Niman, said on Facebook that the change was unlikely to cause too many problems for farmers. “This will probably serve to further erode consumer confidence in the Grassfed label, but seems unlikely to harm farmers or ranchers,” she wrote.

Indeed, the USDA Grassfed label was not the only or even the best grass-fed label available to producers; private grass-fed certifications have been developed by American Grassfed, the Food Alliance, and Animal Welfare Approved, some of which are stricter than the USDA label was.

“The USDA definition does a good job of defining what grassfed animals can and cannot be fed,” wrote a statement from the Food Alliance. “But it does not deal with other issues consumers care about – like the use of hormones and antibiotics, confinement of animals, and environmental stewardship.”

Because FSIS did not simultaneously adopt the former USDA grass-fed standards, producers can now either become certified by a private grass-fed label or develop a new standard. Though it will no longer define the label, the USDA intends to continue to approve the labeling process for grass-fed beef products, AMS’s Sam Jones-Ellard told On Pasture. “FSIS will still approve grass-fed labels like they always have, and AMS will still verify grass-fed claims through our suite of third-party verification services,” he said.

The 2006 USDA standard stated that to qualify as grass-fed, grass, forbs, and forage needed to make up 99 percent or more of the diet of a ruminant after weaning. Ruminants have evolved to digest grasses; corn- and grain-fed beef makes for both a less efficient and sustainable meat industry and for less healthful meat.

]]>Got a Beef With Meat Labels? How to Demystify Their Meaninghttp://www.organicauthority.com/foodie-buzz/got-a-beef-with-meat-labels-how-to-demystify-their-meaning.html
Sun, 14 Jul 2013 15:00:00 +0000http://www.organicauthority.com/s1-foodie-buzz/c4-foodie-buzz/got-a-beef-with-meat-labels-how-to-demystify-their-meaning/Confused by all the different meat labels used these days? We help break down the facts for you. Kermit the Frog once said it’s not easy being green. Mindful carnivores know this maxim to be true: every year seems to bring new or redefined terms that let consumers know how livestock are being raised prior […]

Confused by all the different meat labels used these days? We help break down the facts for you.

Kermit the Frog once said it’s not easy being green. Mindful carnivores know this maxim to be true: every year seems to bring new or redefined terms that let consumers know how livestock are being raised prior to slaughter.

To help you decipher what’s USDA-regulated, what’s not, but ethical, and what’s just plain bull—- (pun intended), here’s the latest on meat labeling (beef, pork, lamb, goats, and buffalo; poultry and eggs have their own wildly confusing labels, which I’ll cover in a future article).

Conventional: This term is more often seen in conjunction with produce, although may also be used to refer to industrial-scale ranching (also known as factory farming or Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations/CAFOs).There’s no legal definition, but it’s important to understand how it differs from other forms of animal husbandry. For purposes of brevity, I’ll use beef cattle as an example.

Does this make you a bad person if you continue to buy factory-farmed meat, even if it’s just in the form of a burrito at your favorite taqueria? Of course not. But as consumers, we should be informed of the global and local impact our choices have, and do the best we can to offset negative consequences. You have to pick your battles, and my personal crusade is to promote more humane, sustainable livestock management.

Natural: The USDA provides a legal definition of this term only as it applies to meat, poultry, and eggs. These foods must be “minimally processed,” meaning the raw product isn’t fundamentally altered and contains no artificial ingredients. What your meat and poultry can contain are growth hormones and antibiotics as well as fed genetically modified grains. Animals may also be raised under confinement, because the USDA guidelines only include processing, not methods for raising the animals.

Pasture-raised: Like “free-range (which is used for poultry),” this term has no legal definition, and doesn’t ensure animal welfare standards are met. It’s a claim that any producer can make, so, caveat emptor. It’s best to purchase products labeled with this term at a farmers market, where you can ask questions and (ideally) see photos of animal husbandry methods or schedule a ranch visit.

Humane: This claim, or others similar to it, isn’t regulated by the USDA, and verification is difficult to achieve. In many cases, it’s become little more than a marketing term. Be leery.

Certified Humane Raised and Handled®: This label “requires the humane treatment of farm animals from birth through slaughter,” in accordance with consumer demand for more ethical farming practices. To be Certified Humane®, ranchers must ensure that animals have “ample space, shelter, gentle handling to reduce stress, and a “healthy diet of quality feed, without added antibiotics or hormones.” Cages, crates, and tie-stalls are prohibited, and animals must be allowed to engage in natural behaviors; regulations are overseen and implemented by a national non-profit.

Animal Welfare Approved (AWA): This voluntary program was developed in response to consumer demand for meat, eggs, and dairy products raised under rigorous humane and environmental standards. Considered the “gold standard” for food labeling with regard to sustainable livestock production, AWA “audits, certifies, and supports independent family farmers raising their animals according to the highest animal welfare standards.” This means animals must be permitted to engage in natural behaviors, “be in a state of physical and psychological well-being,” and raised on pasture or range. The program doesn’t charge fees to participating farmers (unlike, say, organic certification), which is a critical step toward sustainable food production, in the truest sense of the word.

Grassfed: While USDA-regulated, this term denotes that cattle and other ruminants (cud-chewing mammals including bison, sheep, and goats), may have their predominantly pasture-based diet supplemented with grain. Use of antibiotics, hormones, and pesticides (on pasture) are also allowed. Note that “grass-finished” is a self-made, unregulated claim. Grassfed meat has become an increasingly popular choice amongst consumers due to its considerable health benefits.

AGA-Certified Grassfed: TheAmerican Grassfed Association has applied a third-party audit system to create a label that they say “takes USDA standards to a higher level.” Animals must consume nothing but pasture forage from weaning to slaughter, can’t be raised in confinement (this includes no feedlots), must be allowed to engage in natural behaviors, and are free of hormones and antibiotics. An AGA-certification also guarantees that “meat is produced in the United States from beef cattle and other ruminants born and raised in this country.”

Organic: Since the federal government became the regulating agency for organic standards, organic meat production has remained a source of contention. According to the USDA, meat labeled “organic” may not contain hormones or antibiotics. The animals must be fed 100% Organic Certified vegetarian, pesticide-, herbicide-, and GMO-free feed grown without synthetic fertilizers, chemicals, or sewage sludge, or irradiatedf, as well as free of animal by-products, but the diet can include grain and feedlot grain finishing. According to the Organic Trade Association’s website, organic livestock “are given access to the outdoors, fresh air, water, sunshine, grass and pasture…Any shelter provided must be designed to allow the animal comfort and the opportunity to exercise.” This doesn’t mean that livestock are necessarily raised on pasture or in a pen- or cage-free environment, or permitted to graze.

When Jacqueline Smith, co-owner and farmer at Green Dirt Farm, was a teenager, she vowed to stop eating meat. Smith’s culinary change of heart wasn’t rooted in cliché teen angst, though. She ceased eating meat to boycott the industrial farm system. While Smith’s passion for sustainable farming remains strong, she dropped her personal boycott long ago. Smith now co-owns and operates Green Dirt Farm, a community-based farm specializing in sheep’s milk cheeses and 100 percent grass-fed lamb in Weston, MO. We recently interviewed Smith and asked her why she became a farmer, why she strives to keep her farm’s product standards high and practices sustainable, and what she has planned for Green Dirt in the near future.

Abbie Stutzer: Did you decide to become a farmer because you grew up on a farm?

Jacqueline Smith: I did not grow up on a farm. However, growing up, my family spent much of our time together in the outdoors: camping, fishing or horseback riding. I think this foundation helped mold my appreciation for nature and the environment. As I grew up I became increasingly aware of how our food is produced. As a teenager, I felt so helpless against the huge industrial farming industry that I boycotted eating meat and tried to not use products that came from this industry. It didn’t dawn on me as a teenager that I could use this passion for change instead of boycotting animal products all together.

Another reason I was interested in farming was the simple fact that I found the lifestyle of farming very enchanting. I knew that one day I wanted to be a mother and wanted to raise my children in an environment that allowed me to be present. I saw farming as an opportunity to be a mother and have a career. It wasn’t until I was in college that I began entertaining ideas of choosing farming as a career. Of course I had no idea how to do this since I didn’t have any role models at the time in farming, nor had I ever spent much time on a farm let alone working on one. But my passion for ethical eating set me in the direction of learning how I might become a farmer. I began researching small-scale agriculture, apprenticing on small vegetable farms and took a few agricultural business classes. At that time I was focused on vegetable production.

AS: How did you meet Sarah Hoffmann (co-owner and cheesemaker at Green Dirt)?

JS: I met Sarah while I was still in college. She had already begun to research farming opportunities and had purchased about 25 acres in Weston, where we currently operate our farm.

AS: Why did you two decide to farm together?

JS: When Sarah and I became friends, we quickly became aware that we shared a lot of the same goals and interests for ourselves, our families and our community. We began working on farm business plans. Since Sarah already had land, we decided to farm on her land. After doing some soil testing it became obvious that the land was not suitable for vegetable farming. The soil is very fine and erosion happens very quickly in our soils. Plus the terrain is rolling with steep inclines and deep valleys. The land had been farmed for tobacco, corn and soy previous to Sarah purchasing the land so most of it had lost much of its nutritional value. But we realized that to create a sustainable farm, we needed to farm the land for what the land is best suited for. Plus after developing the business plan, we realized that if we were going to farm as our primary source of income, we needed to create a business structure that added value back to the raw product we produced. This led us to researching building a dairy. Because of the soil and rolling hills, dairy cows would cause more erosion. Also, goats had already saturated the dairy market, so that left us with sheep. We became members of the Dairy Sheep Association of North America and went to our first DSANA conference where we learned about the wonderful qualities of sheep milk and sheep milk cheeses. It has proven to be a great market for us since it is still a very young market in the U.S. and there is a lot of opportunity to expand the market.

AS: How long did it take to install the renewable energy sources used on the farm?

JS: All of our business planning involved using renewable energy sources on the farm. We accounted for the extra expense when searching for financing. Most of the renewable energy sources were installed when we were in building the infrastructure of our farm. Of course, we are constantly trying to improve our energy sources and adding additional renewable sources as we continue to grow. Agriculture is one of the leading pollutants of fossil fuels. Dairies are especially hard on the environment. Our dairy operates about 10 hours of each day, so we want to make sure that we are doing everything we can to minimize the use of fossil fuels. We have very efficient insulation in our dairy barn and cheese kitchen. All of our appliances are energy saving, including our instant hot water system that heats our buildings. Because dairies are notorious for polluting our water shed, we installed a state-of-the-art wastewater treatment septic system that helps us protect our water shed. Also, the simple fact that we graze our animals on pasture instead of bringing the food to them helps eliminate our reliance on fossil fuels. Sheep are wonderful creatures for producing renewable energy simply because they are designed to harvest their own food and fertilize the ground without using petrochemicals that destroy the ecosystem on the farm and pollute our watershed. Plus, we graze our animals in electric fence that is powered by the sun, so it practically is a system that uses renewable energy only. Our grazing systems are carefully managed so that we build the soil fertility by spreading composted wastes and whey from the cheese kitchen on our pastures.

AS: Do indigenous plants help keep the soil on the farm healthy, and curb erosion?

JS: Our grazing systems encourage indigenous plants to repopulate our pastures. Because the land had been cultivated for years before we turned them back into pastures, most of the indigenous plants were eradicated from the soil. Our soil is very fine and erosion is a very serious problem around here. Establishing indigenous and permanent plants on our farm keep the soil from eroding by never allowing the soil to be exposed to harsh winds or downpours that remove the top layers of the soil. Our grazing system is modeled after the grazing patterns of native buffalo herds, however, we manage how and where the sheep graze. We keep our animals in controlled fenced areas and are moved every 24 hours. This management system allows the sheep to eat about 50 percent of the grasses. The other 50 percent is wasted by them stomping on it or laying down on the grass, which is later composted back into the soil. Plus keeping them in controlled paddocks allows them to deposit their own waste in concentrated areas. This concentrated animal waste feed the microbes in the soil, which create food for the plants, and helps to reestablish indigenous plants in our pastures. Because we rotate our sheep every 24 hours and do not return them to the same area for at least 90 days, the plants have a long opportunity to rebound from the last grazing. This type of grazing system allows the indigenous plants to grow long root systems. These root systems reach down into the depths of the soil reaching water in times of drought. These root systems also act like barriers deep in the soil keeping the soil from moving on the plains, very similar to tree root systems.

AS: What are some of the benefits of allowing animals to graze for food?

JS: There are a few very important benefits to allowing animals to graze for their food. Firstly, we use far less fossil fuels to feed our animals than a traditional dairy that trucks in their feed and use tractors to bring the feed to the animals. We do not need to truck in very much feedstuff that is grown using harsh petrochemicals and tons of fossil fuels. The majority of what the ewes eat comes from what the ewes harvest themselves. The second important fact about grazing animals is that they replenish our pastures and create a strong ecosystem on the farm that encourages indigenous plants to grow, stops erosion, and builds soil fertility. Also, ruminants that graze for their food do not rely on corn to supplement their nutrition. Ruminants are designed to digest grass and use the grass as energy. A ruminant that eats a heavy corn-based diet will have long-term health problems associated with the use of corn. Plus, ruminants that eat grass will have higher improved nutritional qualities of milk and meat, including increased Omega-3 and CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) content. Lastly, animals raised on grass will have nuances of the pasture in their milk, which is especially important for us. As cheese makers we want our cheese to have flavors of what our sheep are eating, such as clovers, flora, native plants, and other grasses. This flavor profile makes our cheese very unique.

AS: Can you tell me a bit about how the farm was Animal Welfare Approved?

JS: You can find out more about the Animal Welfare Approved program from their website. There are different standards for different animals. We became Animal Welfare Approved mostly because we wanted to maintain that transparency on our farm. Having the AWA certification allows our customers to know that we are farming the way we promise. It gives them assurance that they can buy our products with a clear conscience.

AS: Is it difficult to maintain these standards?

JS: I do believe that humane treatment practices on the farm not only improve the quality of the animals live but also the farmers live too. It must be awful living on a CAFO. Some of the requirements are difficult to maintain, but not impossible. They are very strict about the practices and require you to follow each one. But in the end, it’s what is best for the animal and having the guidance from AWA helps create a better life for my animals.

AS: How do you plan your Farm Dinners?

JS: We work with chefs that use our products in their restaurants and have a lot of the same philosophical ideas behind using products from local small-scale farms. And yes, we are working on plans for events in the winter. More information about these events will be announced as the plans become more solid.

AS: What are some of the farm’s best sellers?

JS: Our cheeses are our farm’s best sellers. Each one has its own market. Some people love our more stinky cheese like Bossa, while others enjoy the creamy mild cheeses like our Fresh cheeses. We are always working in our cheese kitchen to come up with new cheeses.

]]>Not All Humane Animal Standards Created Equalhttp://www.organicauthority.com/blog/organic/organic-food/not-all-humane-animal-standards-created-equal/
http://www.organicauthority.com/blog/organic/organic-food/not-all-humane-animal-standards-created-equal/#commentsTue, 18 Jan 2011 19:42:24 +0000http://www.organicauthority.com/blog/?p=8524Sir Paul McCartney summed it up when he said: “if slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be a vegetarian.” Cultural norms have long justified inhumane conditions for animals raised for food to both suffer and die in. Animal rights organizations like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and Mercy for Animals have caught truly […]

Sir Paul McCartney summed it up when he said: “if slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be a vegetarian.” Cultural norms have long justified inhumane conditions for animals raised for food to both suffer and die in. Animal rights organizations like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and Mercy for Animals have caught truly unbelievable “standard industry practices” and shocking cases of cruelty in undercover videos.

The film “Food Inc” highlighted the massive impact a concentrated animal feed operation can have on natural resources and the environment as well as the work conditions of some slaughterhouses, where illegal aliens are brought into the country by abattoir owners and forced to work long hours in dangerous conditions.

Retailers, including the progressive chain, Whole Foods Market, have recently launched ‘humane’ standards with the Global Animal Partnership (GAP), but, according to a detailed chart provided by Animal Welfare Approved, not all definitions of humane treatment are the same.

The chart compares regulations used by five organizations and the results reveal that while all vastly improve upon conventional standards, ‘humane’ comes in many shades.

The organizations: Certified Humane, Animal Welfare Approved (AWA), Global Animal Partnership, USDA Organic and American Humane Certified, have each set up their own standards to abide by and carry their label, and Certified Humane and Animal Welfare Approved rank as most humane for the animals.

The highly promoted Global Animal Partnership, as well as USDA’s Organic Certification program for animal products and American Humane Certified allow a number of practices forbidden by the other two organizations, including longer transportation time to slaughter, or no regulations on travel time at all. The GAP and USDA also permits ear notching, nose rings, harmful bird catching methods, denial of outdoor access and denial of darkness for sleeping. Both also do not have a standard on dealing with ammonia levels from animal waste, which can burn chickens on contact and elicit infections. Providing shield from wind and shade to those animals receiving outdoor access is not required by GAP, USDA or American Humane Certified among other questionable practices allowed.

As predictions that 2011 will be the year vegan goes mainstream, the conditions animals endure for food production will likely come under more scrutiny than ever before. The number of animals raised for food in the U.S. totals near 8 billion (not including fish), according to Food & Water Watch’s map detailing the growth of factory farms between 1997 and 2007.